


she-ra and the princesses of power: one more best friend squad roadtrip (UNDER RECONSTRUCTION)

by messofunfinishedthoughts



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Bow Is a Good Friend (She-Ra), Bright Moon (She-Ra), Catra (She-Ra) Redemption, Catra Goes to Therapy (She-Ra), Fluff and Humor, Glimmer (She-Ra) is a Good Friend, Hordak Redemption (She-Ra), Other, POV Adora (She-Ra), POV Catra (She-Ra), POV Glimmer (She-Ra), Queen Glimmer (She-Ra)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:48:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24389164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/messofunfinishedthoughts/pseuds/messofunfinishedthoughts
Summary: {CURRENTLY BEING REWRITTEN}after the threat of the horde is gone forever, etheria is finally at real peace. the best friend squad is more powerful than ever, especially since catra has joined them. glimmer has become the queen her mother raised her to be, and with her father's help, she is looking forward to making her reign over bright moon and etheria a memorable one. adora has not only gained the true power of she-ra, she has even found love in her childhood best friend, catra. so, what now?with the magic at the heart of etheria set free, etheria is more beautiful than ever, and the best friend squad is determined to bring magic back to the entire universe.
Relationships: Adora & Catra & Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Angella/Micah (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Castaspella & Micah (She-Ra), Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra & Scorpia (She-Ra), Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra), Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Micah & Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 60





	1. return to bright moon

[Catra POV]  
I can't believe that it's all really, finally, over. Horde Prime is gone, and he's not coming back. No one else can get hurt, and Adora is safe. I smile to myself, and repeat that thought. 'Adora is safe.' I look over to her now, grinning that dumb little grin of hers. People are surrounding her, members of the Rebellion I think, and they're thanking her for saving them, for saving Etheria. Sparkles and Arrow Boy are stood nearby, in discussion with Micah, Glimmer's dad.  
"It wasn't all on me." I hear her say.  
"You opened your heart up, didn't you?" A voice asks behind me. I jump back a little, my claws sharpened for an attack, but it is only Perfuma. My claws retract. I really need to get a grip on that particular habit. Perfuma holds her hands out to calm me.  
"I'm sorry that I startled you." She says, as I sigh.  
"It's okay." I respond, before Melog runs over to us. I laugh as they tackle me to the ground, mewling in relief.  
"Where's Adora?" They ask.  
"She's over there. Why don't you go say hi?" I ask, but Melog snuggles into me. I rub their head, and they sit on the grass. I join them, taking in the cooling sensation. Perfuma sits with me, as I continue to stroke Melog.  
"You're right, by the way." I admit. "I did open my heart." Perfuma smiles.  
"I can tell. Not only did you open it, but you believed in it too. That's an incredible strength, Catra." She tells me. I smile a little, giving a 'hmph' noise.  
"I had to believe in it though. Adora always believes in hers. I wanted to show her that all she has done, the sacrifices she made, it wasn't all in vain." I affirm, noticing the glisten in Perfuma's eyes. Ugh. These princesses are so sentimental.  
"I believed in Adora's heart too." I finish, but Perfuma continues to regard me with her shiny eyes.  
"What?" I ask, slightly annoyed at her expression. Perfuma giggles.  
"You love her, don't you?" She asks. I go to defend myself, before realising that it is pointless now.  
"She's Adora, everyone loves her." I state, brushing off the question.  
"Not in the way that you do, though. I see the way you look at each other. Plus, I hear you jumped into fire for her." Perfuma expands her hands, a giddy expression on her face. I pout.  
"Nobody's going to let me live that down, are they?" I grumble. Before Perfuma can offer me a response, Adora, speak of the devil, plonks herself down on the grass in front of us. Her bluebell eyes catch the sun, and they flash with magic, just as they had done on Krytis when meeting Melog, and as they had done on her ship, when she was trying to reconnect with She-Ra. Despite having seen this before, I'm suddenly rendered speechless.  
"Hey Perfuma! Come and look at this!" A voice calls, one that I'd recognise anywhere; Scorpia. Perfuma smiles over at Scorpia, who waves to both myself and Adora. I tentatively wave back, whilst Adora grins and waves. Upon me trying to apologise to Scorpia, she'd just picked me up and hugged me, so I hoped that meant I was forgiven, but I still have a deep guilt for what happened between us. I know that I need to do more.  
Perfuma stands, a smile still on her face.  
"I'll leave you two to talk." She says, referencing between me and Adora, before taking her leave. Adora nudges my shoulder.  
"Glimmer wants to know if you'd like to move into Bright Moon with us." She tells me, in a nervous tone. Her cheeks are flushed pink, as if Sparkles' suggestion has embarrassed her or something.  
"Really?"  
"Yeah." Adora responds, with a goofy grin on her face, and her cheeks still flushed. I can tell now that she likes the idea, and that I had mistaken her blush as embarrassment when it was actually just the nerves in asking me. I kind of like the idea of moving into Bright Moon, but at the same time, the thought of living there terrifies me. There are so many memories there. The Battle of Bright Moon, the civilians I hurt, the Rebellion's previous Queen...  
I go to respond, attempting to voice my fears, when Adora's smile falters, almost as if she is recollecting a hurtful memory. She looks over in the distance.  
"Glimmer told me how you said that there was nothing for you on Etheria, and how there was no one left in the entire universe who cared about you. We want to prove you wrong. That's why you're a part of the Best Friend Squad now. So, whaddya say?" Adora asks me, her eyes burning into mine. And just like that, I am certain of my answer.  
"Sure." I shrug nonchalantly, as Adora hugs me tight. The heat rises to my cheeks as I try to push the blonde away, but she notices, prompting her to smirk. Of course the one time Adora would be perceptive is the one time she can use it against me. She brushes her hand over my cheek in a soft motion, one that stops me from moving entirely. Was her skin always this soft? I manage to pull away, and look to the side, cheeks now more heated than ever.  
"This is not because I like you." I mumble. Adora's smirk widens.  
"What? It's not!" I protest, folding my arms. Adora sniggers.  
"Awww." She cooes, and I tackle her, just like we used to do when we were cadets, back in the Horde. I'd missed her so badly.  
"So, did she say yes?" A teasing voice chimes above us. Myself and Adora look up to see a beaming Sparkles and Arrow Boy, Sparkles being the one to have spoken.  
"She did!" Adora confirms.  
"Great!" Sparkles grabs both me and Adora off the floor in a swift motion.  
"I don't want a big fancy room though. Bright Moon looks like it has a lot of those." I say, bringing the memory of Bright Moon's appearance to my mind. Sparkles grins at me.  
"Well, I was thinking you and Adora could share a room, you know like you used to as cadets. We'd give you the spare room, but that's being used for Scorpia." Sparkles speaks.  
"That's fair en-"  
"Share a room?" Adora scoffs, interrupting me. "Catra had the bottom half of my bed, why do you think I always sleep with my legs curled? She even had a bunk above me, but she rarely used it." Adora tells. Bow does that weird thing with his face where it goes all mushy.  
"So cute!" He squeals, as both myself and Adora fold our arms in indignation.  
"It's a habit, that doesn't make it cute." Adora protests. I chuckle.  
"I disagree." I purr, smirking. "It's incredibly cute that you made your own little habit for little old me." I'm in Adora's face now, watching her eyes, with a playful smirk on my lips. Adora's eyes narrow, before a smirk settles on her lips.  
"You know, that spacesuit of yours was really cute. Don't you agree Bow? Especially the ears." Adora cooes, as I groan at her.  
"It wasn't cute!" I yell.  
"Riiiight." Adora's smirk remains fixed.  
"You guys can continue this later. Right now, we need to get back to Bright Moon." Arrow Boy speaks, but his grin says that he is amused with mine and Adora's exchange.  
"Sounds good to me." Sparkles says.  
"Bright Moon's such a long walk though." I moan.  
"We won't be walking." Sparkles grabs onto myself, Arrow Boy and Adora. I tense up.  
"Not this ag-" Whoosh!  
The next thing that I know, I'm stood at the other end of the Whispering Woods, facing Castle Bright Moon. More memories fill my mind of the Battle of Bright Moon. I'd nearly destroyed this place altogether. I'd hurt Adora a lot, almost defeated her entirely. Queen Angella, Sparkl-Glimmer's mom, was its ruler, and in my mad quest for power, I'd doomed her after I set off the portal. I'd left Sparkles without a mother, and I'd always feel guilty for that. However, Sparkles had become a lot stronger, even I had to admit that. I shiver with guilt at my memories of Bright Moon, but Adora placing her hand into mine frees me from my thoughts. I look at her, as she regards me with a soft smile.  
"It's okay." She whispers. I remember now, how when I'd seen her at Bright Moon after what happened at that First Ones' ruin, I felt so much. Despite our status as enemies, relief had coursed through me that she was okay, but I quickly cast it aside, telling myself that she'd chosen her side, and I'd chosen mine. With me as a Horde Force Captain, and her as a Princess, we were sworn enemies. I'd put my anger and confidence on the surface, attacking her, distracting her whilst the rest of the Horde forces had torn into Bright Moon, doing anything they could to attack and destroy the Moonstone. I shiver again, and Adora hugs me. She pulls away after a moment, placing a soft kiss on my lips- our second kiss, the first since our kiss at the Heart of Etheria. I loved the feeling of it, I had to admit. Maybe she's right. With her back at my side, maybe it is okay. We're going to go on a new mission soon, and I know that with her, it's going to be great. Maybe now, I am home.


	2. the strongest bond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just some light catradora fluff.

[Adora POV]  
It felt so good to be back at Bright Moon. The atmosphere looks better than ever somehow, and the Moonstone is radiating its power like never before, enhanced by the release of all the pent up magic from the Heart of Etheria. However, the ground damage is still evident, a sad memory of the first wave of Horde Prime's invasion. We had tried to hold Prime's bots off, we really had, but it had become a struggle, and we knew that we had to find a new camp. Leaving Bright Moon behind had felt like a betrayal. To Glimmer, who we had no idea where she was; to King Micah, who had only just got his home back; and most of all, to Queen Angella, who I felt I had broken my promise to.  
I sit in my room, overlooking the grounds, as Catra walks around the room, messing with the crystals hanging down, and other ornaments around the room. She keeps messing with them all, clattering about. I can't even count how many times I've had to ask her to not mess around, but since when does Catra ever listen to anyone?  
"Ooo, what's this?" Catra asks from behind me, and I turn to see her reaching for a crystal, balancing on my bed. I laugh at her antics, before her foot slips, and she screeches out. Melog mewls in panic, as I run forward and catch Catra. We thud to the floor, as Catra groans.  
"Owww..." She groans, sitting up.  
"You okay?" I ask.  
"If I was okay, I wouldn't be saying 'oww'." Catra responds. I sit up, grinning at her.  
"The crystals are pretty, huh?" I smile. Catra makes a hmphing noise.  
"Yeah, I guess." She folds her arms, before a smirk appears on her lips, and she gets closer to my face.  
"I know something that's pretty. Or rather someone." Catra continues, with as much confidence in her voice as I had in mine. I freeze, feeling my cheeks burn up, just as they had done when she told me she loves me, back at the Heart of Etheria. Catra continues to smirk at me, but she jumps back when sparkles appear next to us, and Glimmer appears.  
"There's a party toni-" She stops speaking, and grins down at me and Catra, still sprawled on the floor.  
"Am I interrupting something?" She teases. Catra folds her arms, and I tilt my head upwards.  
"Of course not!" I protest.  
"No!" Catra yelps. Glimmer nods sarcastically.  
"Suuure."  
"Although it would have been nice if you'd used the door." Catra states.  
"What was that about a party?" I ask, moving away from the topic.  
"There's a victory party tonight, being held right here in Bright Moon! There's gunna be cake, and confetti, and everything! It's going to be great!" Glimmer exclaims excitedly. I hear Catra sigh, although the little smile on her face tells me she is slightly amused. "You realise we still have tons of ground damage, right?" I ask, concerned. "It'll be fine, Adora. The guards are working on getting rid of all the debris as we speak. Besides, I'm sure there's a spell for that type of thing." Glimmer explains.  
"Want some help?" I offer, but both Catra and Glimmer immediately shut me down.  
"Absolutely not." They state at the same time.  
"You just saved the universe. Adora, you've been through so much in the last few days. Today, you need rest." Glimmer states.  
"Sparkles is right." Catra speaks. "Let us handle all the ground work."  
"But-"  
"Adora," Catra says, firmly. "I want to help them. But you nearly died, so will you please, if just for one day, stop playing the good guy, and just sleep?" Catra asks.  
"For once, I agree with Catra. Queen's orders. You are not to leave these chambers, or summon the Sword of Protection for the whole day. You are to rest. I'll even have room service arranged." Glimmer says, resolute.  
"Did you forget the part where your castle staff are helping to clear the damage?" I ask. Catra and Glimmer both stare at me pointedly.  
"I'll have Entrapta's kitchen staff attend you then. Now, no more from you." Glimmer waves a dismissive hand in my direction.  
"Sleep." Catra orders, before walking away with Glimmer.  
"You know, you dropped the last cake you had. Do you know how much effort I went to, to get that one slice? Is you having cake a wise choice this time?" Catra teases, and Glimmer laughs, putting a hand on her neck. I have no idea what they're on about, but I assume it is something that happened on Prime's ship. There is humour between them at this memory, but still something else.  
"It looked really nice too. I'll tell the chefs to make a cake like it!" Glimmer cheers. "Although I may have to ask my Aunt Casta, or my dad, to pass on the message."  
"Why's that?" Catra asks, intrigued.  
"Nobody is letting me or Bow anywhere near the kitchen or the ballroom. I doubt they'll even let you guys in either of those rooms. My Aunt Casta has gone as far as to cast a spell of repellence on those rooms. I won't be able to use my teleportation to get in." Glimmer explains, as Catra sits herself back up, and lies on my bed.  
"There's a spell to repent your teleportation? Do you think someone would cast one on this room?" Catra asks sarcastically, earning a pout from Glimmer.  
"Oh haha, hilarious."  
"Oh yeah, have you seen Shadow Weaver?" Glimmer asks, on a completely different note. My heart sinks, and I notice Catra's expression immediately shift as she stops walking.  
"Her garden's kinda wilted, and I don't really want anyone to move the weeds in case she gets mad. I didn't think she was a flower person, but she got really mad this one time one of the guards tried to-" Without warning, tears prick at my eyes, and Catra looks away from Glimmer.  
"Guys?" Glimmer asks, in a gentler tone.  
"She's gone." Catra states bluntly, and Melog comes to her feet in her smallest size, cuddling into her.  
"W-What?" Glimmer stutters, sitting on the edge of the bed. As straightforward as Catra may have been, there was no other way to say it. I'd tried not to think about what happened to Shadow Weaver since we reached the Heart, and mine and Catra's moment, as well as my 'wish' of the future, as Prime had put it, had done a good job of distracting me from that. But now people were going to notice that she was gone, and as myself and Catra were the last people who were seen with her, the last people to ever speak to her, we would be responsible for delivering the truth. Despite her lack of parental love, she was still a mother figure to both myself and Catra. Although, she was more parental to me, in her own twisted way, I suppose.  
"She...She sacrificed herself so that we could get to the Heart..." I start to cry, making slight whimpering noises. I see Glimmer reach for me in the corner of my eye, but it is Catra who suddenly holds me from behind, as we slide back onto the floor. I smile at her, at the familiarity of her embrace. I had missed her so much.  
"Without her," I start again. "We wouldn't have reached the Heart at all."  
"A First One monster. It almost killed me. Prime had me where he wanted me. But then Shadow Weaver arrived. She told me to take Adora and run, but I was hesitant." Catra explains, as Glimmer listens intently.  
"She blasted me onto the path that led to the Heart, and put up a shield to prevent me getting back through. She told me that it was just the beginning for me, and that she was proud of me..." Catra concludes, trailing off.  
"I-I can't believe it." Glimmer says. We stay in silence for a few moments, before Glimmer rises.  
"I've had an idea."  
"Oh yeah? What's that?" Catra inquires.  
"You'll see soon enough. Catra, you need to rest too. You're staying here as well." Before either myself or Catra can say anything in response or questioning, Glimmer is gone again.  
"Sheesh, she really makes me dizzy with all that teleporting." Catra groans. She moves, as if to get up, but she actually snuggles into me even more, causing me to smile. I wrap my arms around her.  
"Do you think Shadow Weaver was actually proud of me?" Catra asks. The longing in her eyes is so real, her yearning for approval so strong, despite what Shadow Weaver did to her, did to us even.  
"Given what you've become? Yeah, I do. I'm proud of you too." I say, placing a small kiss on her cheek. It immediately heats up, and I smile, but decide not to prod fun at her.  
"Sparkles said the party was tonight. I say we sleep all day, and party the night through. Sound good?" Catra asks me, yawning. We're both exhausted, and could use the rest.  
"Sounds perfect." 

A few hours later, myself and Catra awake to a knocking on the door. Catra is curled up next to me, her arms acting as a pillow. I smile down at her, watching as her mouth opens and closes again in that slight snore of hers. I yawn, and stretch.  
"Adora? Catra?"  
"Come in!" I call, through a yawn. When the door opens, Glimmer walks in with Bow behind her.  
"Awe! Look at Catra's little snore!" Bow comments, with mushy eyes. I laugh, but shake Catra in order to wake her up. She stirs slowly, as she has always done, murmuring.  
"Lonnie, I swear on the Horde, if Kyle is injured again-." She groans. I move some hair out of Catra's face, and smile at her.  
"Hey. The Horde's gone, remember? You're in Bright Moon, with me, Adora." I gently tell her. Catra rubs her eyes, before covering them.  
"It's so bright in here." She grumbles. I put my head in the way of the window, and she smiles.  
"I know you're She-Ra, but you don't have to have a halo." She rolls her eyes, with a smile, beginning to wake up and register events of the last three months, since Prime's arrival, and the hours since his defeat. The feline leans forward, but Bow clears his throat, and Catra screeches.  
"Hi, we're here too." Bow says awkwardly. Catra huffs, but Melog's approach calms her, as it has come to do. I swing my legs out of bed, and approach the waterfall, running some water over my face, in order to wake me up a little more. I notice as Catra rubs a hand through her hair, a habit she has always had upon awaking, but she pauses at her neck, still adjusting to the fact that her hair is so short.  
"We came to prepare for the party tonight. I actually came to take Catra for a bit of a makeover." Glimmer explains, to Catra's horror.  
"What? No way!" She protests.  
"It won't be that bad!" Glimmer protests back, with laughter in her voice.  
"Not a chance. Adora, don't let her touch me!" Catra flees from the bed to behind me, and I giggle at her childish nature.  
"Oh come on, Catra." I chide, to the feline's disapproval. "I promise you'll be fine." I laugh. Catra huffs, but rolls her eyes and pouts.  
"Ugh, fine, whatever. I'll kill you if this goes wrong." She glares between myself and Glimmer. "Both of you." She warns.  
"Yeah yeah, whatever." I grin, as Glimmer teleports herself and Catra away. Melog disappears, probably to find Catra, as myself and Bow stand in a humoured silence.  
"Castaspella wanted me to take you to the dress room. She wants to help you pick a dress for the party." Bow explains, as we leave the room.  
"Can't I just wear my red one?" I ask. Bow laughs.  
"Nah, she won't allow that. You do not wear the same outfit to a formal event with Castaspella twice. You know how she gets." Bow shrugs.  
"But she wears the same dress every time I see her." I protest.  
"Don't ask me. I don't make the rules." Bow says. He nudges me, suddenly, with a smirk on his face.  
"Soooo...you and Catra. Are you guys a thing now?" He teases, and I blush immediately.  
"What makes you think that?" I ask.  
"Oh, I don't know. It could be the fact that you guys were doing a cute little forehead thing when me and Glimmer found you this morning, it could be the fact that you were holding hands when we said we'd go on the new mission together, or it could be the fact that you guys were snuggled together when me and Glim-"  
"Okay, I get it." I stop him, and fumble with my hands a little. "I think we're a thing." I quietly admit.  
"You think?  
"Well, we've kissed and stuff, and we said we loved each other, but what does that mean? Like, is that automatic dating territory? Is she ready for a relationship, after everything that happened on Prime's ship? Like how do I know she's ready to deal with a relationship on top of all of what's happened? How do I know she's not just confused? How do I know I can be good for her?" I ask, rambling, but Bow's laughter stops me.  
"She risked her life for you Adora, on a lot of occasions. I've seen the way you guys look at each other, and it's...well, it's beautiful. Trust me, you and Catra will be just fine. You just have to ask her officially to be your girlfriend." Bow informs me. I tilt my head.  
"'Girlfriend'?" I repeat. Bow eyes me.  
"I hate that the Horde never taught you guys familial terms. Girlfriend, the girl you're in love with, have an attraction to, who equally feels the same way about you."  
"Ohhh, right." I say, as we arrive at the Dress Room, where Castaspella is waiting.  
"Oh, Adora. Delightful, you're here. Let's get you all dolled up, shall we?" Castaspella wraps her arms around me, as Bow nervously waves to me, but Bow's words go around and around in my head.  
_'You just have to ask her to officially be your girlfriend.'_  
Easy, right?  



	3. a little bit of change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> featuring catra and adora getting ready for a well-deserved victory party, with catra and glimmer getting to know each other a bit more.

[Catra POV]  
"If you so much as bring that body glitter near me, I won't be held accountable for my actions, Sparkles." I say, eyeing the said product on Sparkles' vanity dresser. She laughs, and slides it away, instead opting for the hairbrush nearby. Even that gives me the shivers.  
"Don't worry, you'll be fine. You saw Adora at Princess Prom. I handled her whole look." Sparkles confidently tells; the fact that she was responsible for Adora wearing a dress for the first time in her life is completely unsurprising.  
Parties were never a thing in the Horde. Thinking back, there weren't celebrations of any kind, actually. That was to be expected, with the whole world domination plan going on. I've learned about these things called 'birthdays' from Sparkles; she says it's Arrow Boy's soon. She wasn't really shocked that I didn't know what they were; after all, she probably had to explain them to Adora when she first came to Bright Moon. Sparkles had explained to me that birthdays were a celebration of the day you were born, and she had never understood how we never had them in the Horde. I informed her that they existed, on some level, as Shadow Weaver was always reminding me of the day I'd been found as an orphan. I figured it was something she'd do to make me feel a bit more worthless, like I was abandoned purposely, but Adora had always reminded me that we were all orphans, so it didn't matter that Shadow Weaver mentioned it annually.  
I was left orphaned very early on in my life, perhaps two years old? I didn't even know where I came from on Etheria. After essentially taking over the Horde, I'd read through so many of Shadow Weaver's files, but she had never detailed my hometown in any files that even slightly related to me. All I knew was that it had been destroyed, and I'd been found and put in the Horde's orphanage, only to be taken into Shadow Weaver's ward.  
"Catra!" Sparkles' loud shout brings me out of my thoughts. A shout like that usually meant that whoever was yelling at me was angry, but when I look at Sparkles, I see worry on her face instead.  
"I repeated myself twice. Are you alright? You just zoned out." She says, taking a seat next to me. I sigh, and stare back out the window of her room.  
"I'm fine." I say, only for it to come out snappy. I sigh, and apologise. "Sorry, I'm just-" Sparkles raises a brow, prompting me to continue.  
This is stupid. Everything's perfect, for real this time. There's no portal creating an illusion of the perfect reality, this is actually happening, and it's better than I ever hoped. I've figured out my feelings for Adora, I've got her back at my side, we've saved the world, I have new friends, and a new home. I'm about to return magic to the universe. What more do I want?  
...Shadow Weaver, I realise with a sickening jolt. She was cruel, and manipulative, and so many other negative things, but she was mine and Adora's commanding officer, the closest thing we ever had to a mother, and hearing her say she was proud of me down at the Heart of Etheria...it had hit me hard. How could I move past that? She'd sacrificed herself for me and Adora, but what did that mean?  
"I'm just..." I repeat. "I'm having trouble settling into all this." I admit, waving my arms around.  
"That's understandable." Sparkles reasons. "Wanna talk about it?" She asks, putting an arm on my shoulder. I go to tense, but remember that she's not the enemy anymore.  
"Like, it's been a lot, and all this partying and forgiving and love and stuff, it's kind of overwhelming." I admit.  
"And stupid." I add after a moment. I want to stop talking, but now that I'm letting it out, I can't stop.  
"How do I deserve this?" I ask Sparkles, wringing my hands together.  
"I nearly took out Bright Moon, I've tried to kill you all, I almost doomed everyone, and that portal only opened because of me..." I trail off, realising that not only was that portal the very thing that allowed Prime to find Hordak, to find Etheria, to find me and Sparkles, and Adora, but it was also the thing that left Sparkles as Queen of Bright Moon after her mother sacrificed herself to stop the portal. Ultimately, with Bright Moon being the biggest kingdom in Etheria, and the only one with a Queen, Sparkles had basically become the Queen of Etheria. She was seventeen when that happened. She wasn't even an adult yet, and it wouldn't have happened if not for me. She makes a great Queen, sure, but I now know the pain of losing a mother figure. To lose your actual mother must be so much harder.  
"How could you forgive me for what happened to...to the Queen?" I ask, my breath unsteady. Sparkles appears shaken for a moment, saddened even, before sighing.  
"I hated you at first. There were mornings I'd wake up, and forget she was gone, but it was only for a moment. I had too many new responsibilities for me to forget what had happened for more than a minute. I swore I'd get rid of you once and for all, even if it meant I'd do it without Bow and Adora. When you conquered Salineas, my hatred got worse, but when we got...you know, taken by Horde Prime, something had shifted. You'd basically asked me to finish you off beforehand, but I'd promised Scorpia that I wouldn't." Sparkles reveals. I blink, and sit up straighter.  
"Scorpia?"  
"When I came to the Fright Zone, she asked me not to hurt you. Despite everything that had happened, she still believed you were a good person. After we were taken by Prime, and you saved me from being reconditioned, I hoped that maybe Scorpia had been right. When he showed us Etheria, when he showed us Adora, I heard your claws scratch the table. I knew that it was because you still cared about Adora, despite everything that had happened. When you started coming to my cell more often, I started to break your character down. You were lonely, and seeking approval from those above you, but not once caring about what you really wanted deep down. When we spoke about Adora, I knew straight away that she still meant a lot to you. You saved me because you wanted to keep Adora safe, and I knew that there was good in you."  
"My plan to save you in order to protect Adora didn't work though, did it?" I muse. Sparkles laughs.  
"You should have seen her face when she said she wanted to go back for you. She looked so sad, and I knew that there was something between the both of you that was strong. Turns out it was loovvve, huh?" Sparkles stretches out the word 'love' in a teasing manner, smirking.  
"Hey, you wouldn't be sat here right now if not for me and Adora." I fire back, which Sparkles laughs at.  
"So what exactly happened at the Heart of Etheria?" Sparkles asks, and I tense up. Can I really tell her what happened? I've got a mission with her and Arrow Boy for company, and I could do without the endless teasing I know will ensue if I tell her about my declaration of love, and mine and Adora's kiss.  
"Ooo, something interesting?" Sparkles jokes, noticing how I tense. I harrumph.  
"Whatever, can we get this 'makeover' done with?" I ask, making myself shudder at the sentence I've just uttered, but it makes Sparkles smile.  
"Fine. But don't think you're off the hook." Sparkles brings over a grey suit carrier, and I eye it suspiciously.  
"Whatever's in there isn't hot pink, is it? Or yellow?" I ask. I may be her friend now, but I'd kill Sparkles if she had anything like that in mind. Luckily for me, she unzips the suit carrier to reveal a red and black outfit. I sigh in relief. The outfit consists of a red shirt, with long sleeves, a black top for underneath and black trousers, with my usual foot-wrap.  
"Wow, no shoes. I'm surprised, Sparkles. Impressed, but mostly surprised." I shrug, taking the outfit.  
"I'm taking that as a compliment...Horde scum." Sparkles grins. I roll my eyes.  
"I really need a new nickname from you." I shake my head, as the Queen of Bright Moon laughs at my comment before leaving the room.  
It's the first time I've been properly alone since the Battle of Etheria ended.

[Adora POV]  
I stare into the mirror as Castaspella adjusts the dress I'm wearing.  
"I think you look fantastic." She states, making a final adjustment on the shoulders. I smile into the mirror, at myself, and then at Castaspella. I pull the dress down a little, smoothing the fabric out. The dress is a little shorter than my original red dress, just reaching my knees. It is a mix of white and gold, with a white upper half, accented with two golden clasps, with two white sleeves stopping at my shoulders. My hair is down, with a plain golden crown at the forefront of it.  
"I...Castaspella, I love it." I utter. The sorceress smiles, clapping her hands together.  
"Fabulous!" She exclaims. After trying five dresses, I can tell we are both relieved.  
"Hey, Adora!" A familiar voice calls, entering the room. I turn to see Catra, and when our eyes lock, we stay connected like that. Castaspella makes her excuses to leave, but I barely hear her. I'm too busy taking in the sight of Catra. Her hair is still short and messy, but I have to admit, I really like it short. She wears a black top, covered by a red shirt, and black trousers. Her outfit is simple, yet it makes her look...incredible.  
"Oi, Princess, you're staring." Catra tells, smirking. I smirk back at her, and fold my arms.  
"You were staring at me too." I retort.  
"Yeah, well, you look-" Catra stops herself, and looks away. I stride over, confidently taking her chin in my hand.  
"I look what?" I tease. Catra groans, but drops her voice to a whisper.  
"...Gorgeous." I place a kiss on Catra's lips, which she immediately returns. After I pull away, she tilts her head at me.  
"Something on your mind?" She asks.  
"You love me, right?" I ask. Catra scoffs.  
"You know I do, dummy."  
"What do you know about the term, 'girlfriend'?" I inquire, striking up an interesting conversation indeed.


	4. here i am, for the greater good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> catra, now officially adora's girlfriend, starts her path of forgiveness with the other princesses- beginning with mermista.

[Catra POV]  
I wouldn't admit it, but as I walked into Bright Moon's ballroom, I was feeling...excited. Melog, who is walking alongside myself and Adora, is shining blue, reflecting my good mood. Adora had just finished explaining to me about the familial term of 'girlfriend'. It turns out Arrow Boy had only recently educated her on this term, which caused me to roll my eyes. Familial terms were not used in the Horde, but after Scorpia had started working with me, I'd learned more about them. Turns out it's covered in that Force Captain Orientation I never bothered to attend after getting the rank. Oops.  
The way Adora had awkwardly spoke about what she knew on the term was amusing for me, which is a fact that I shared with her, to her displeasure. After her long-winded speech, Adora asked me to be her official girlfriend. I probably shouldn't have laughed in her face, but I kinda did. Luckily, I rescued myself by kissing her, and telling her in my teasing way that by all accounts, we were already dating but it was nice of her to make it official. She says she's not the idiot in our relationship, and the way I act proves that I am. I highly disagree.  
Now, here we are stood at the top of these shiny stairs in this way too bright ballroom, with her hand in mine, her thumb grazing over the back of my hand.  
"Are you sure I'm not going to be attacked or anything? Like some of the people here must want to kill me. I swear I've tried to kill almost every person in this room at least once." I inquire to Adora, who laughs in response.  
"Catra, it's okay." She assures me, in the way that she always has done. I smile at her, and before I can walk forward, a flurry of glitter appears in front of me, revealing Sparkles, who sports a long purple dress with glittery designs. Of course it would be glittery. I wonder if she owns anything that isn't glittery?  
"Do you ever walk anywhere?" I ask her, folding my arms.  
"Loads of places. But teleporting is so much more fun!" Sparkles exclaims, and Adora giggles.  
"Besides, I missed teleporting tons when we were in space. Now, come on!" Before I can object, Sparkles grabs me and Adora- again- and whooshes us away until we appear in the centre of the ballroom with the rest of the princesses.  
"Hey, you left Melog!" I protest, attempting to disguise the fact that I'm once again feeling dizzy. Adora gently holds my shoulder, concern written in her small smile.  
"Hey, Wildcat! Nice outfit!" Scorpia compliments. Perfuma nods, as if in agreement, as Melog approaches. I thank Scorpia for her compliment before turning to my pet companion.  
"Sorry about that. Sparkles here is too fast for her own good." I tell Melog, who mewls in amusement. "Or anyone else's for that matter." I mumble. Sparkles sticks her tongue out at me.  
"Hey, former Horde soldier." The princess known as Frosta directs her voice at me. "I still don't like your face, but your outfit is nice." She says, folding her arms, but with a little smile on her face.  
"Thanks." I say. Sparkles suddenly smirks, and glances between me and Adora.  
"Thing is, Frosta, I don't think Catra has to worry about you not liking her face. I know someone who does." She teases, as Adora's face turns as red as her usual jacket. I make a mental note to rid her of that jacket at the earliest oppurtunity.  
"Oh, I think we're all aware of that." Mermista comments in her usual flat tone, although she has a small teasing smirk on her face. "This is payback for Princess Prom." She tells Adora.  
"Why? What happened at Princess Prom?" I ask intrigued. Adora's pink cheeks fade, and she smiles at a memory, a similar smirk to Mermista's appearing on her face.  
"Mermista here insisted that Sea Hawk was only her ride to the Prom, but we all knew differently, right Glimmer?" Adora asks, as Sparkles grins a toothy grin.  
"You bet!"  
"He was just my ride!" Mermista argues back. Sea Hawk scoffs from behind her.  
"She's always been like this, you know, Catra." He speaks to me. "Denies her absolute adoration for me in public, thinking she's fooling everyone, including me. It's a façade, I assure you." I decide to chuckle along with this banter, hoping it's a safe bet. Social interactions have never been my strongest suit. Truth be told, these guys are pretty comical in their own ways, but it still feels weird to be here. I feel like any minute I'm going to wake up, back in the Fright Zone, without Adora again. Or even worse, I'll wake up on Prime's ship, under his control again, and Adora may not be able to save me. I shake the thoughts away as I take in the sight of Adora.  
_'She's here, Catra. She's real.'_ I reassure myself.  
"Hey, you don't mind if I go say hello to some other people, do you? I can introduce you to them." Adora offers. I smile at her, but decline her outheld hand.  
"I think I'll just have a look around, you know. Get some bearings." I tell her. Adora frowns momentarily, but kisses my cheek in a gentle motion.  
"Okay, well, I'll come find you once I'm done?" She asks. I nod.  
"Okay. I'll be somewhere around." I respond nonchalantly. Adora smiles, before wandering off. I make a little harrumph sound, but a positive one.  
"Catra." A voice behind me speaks. I flinch momentarily, and turn around to see Mermista.  
"You princesses sure have your ways of sneaking up on people, don't you?" I joke lightly. Mermista makes some sort of noise in agreement.  
"I need to talk with you." She states bluntly.  
"Sure."  
"Can we perhaps take this to the hallway?" Mermista asks, and I shrug.  
"Yeah, I guess." I say, and follow her out of the hall. A sinking feeling settles itself in my stomach. Fear. Panic. Memories of our encounter in the Fright Zone. Flashes of the Battle of Salineas.  
Once we are outside in the corridor, Mermista wastes no time getting to the point.  
"You destroyed Salineas. You destroyed my home." She starts. I open my mouth, but she stops me. "No, let me speak. Like I said, you destroyed my home, my kingdom. You destroyed a lot of Etheria, and you made a lot of people suffer." The water princess explains.  
"But," she continues, "you helped Adora save Etheria. You suffered a lot at the hands of Prime, the way I hear it. Don't worry, all I've been told is that you were his original chip victim. Look, I hate what you did, and I hate how you hurt so many people. However, helping to defeat Prime redeemed you a lot, I guess. I'm still sceptical about trusting you, but...well, Adora does. Adora loves you, and she'd never want any of us to hurt you, even after everything. Let me get this straight for you. I'm willing to perhaps start a friendship with you, or at least an uneasy alliance. Make no mistake, I am not doing this for you, this is for Adora. I respect Adora a lot, she's a good person. Her heart's in the right place. I hope that placing it with you works out. Now, come on. Adora may not have been to many parties before, but after the last time one of her friends disappeared at a shindig like this, she's a lot more perceptive now." I blink at Mermista, who is already walking back to the ballroom door.  
"Mermista." I speak. The teal-haired princess turns to face me.  
"I want to help rebuild Salineas." I reveal, and she just gawps at me for a moment.  
"Sure, why not? It's only fair. But we'll need your girlfriend to come along for the trip. There'll be lots of things to lift. She-Ra may not be needed to save the planet, but she has other uses I imagine." I allow myself to let out a sound akin to a giggle, and Mermista offers me a small smile back. Uneasy alliance is as good a place to start as any, right?

When back in the ballroom, I quickly locate Adora, who is talking with Sparkles and Arrow Boy. I mingle with them and the rest of the princesses for another five minutes before bells ring out from the top of the stairs.  
"Dinner is served!" A servant announces. Sparkles grins, and immediately steals me away from Adora, linking my arm in hers, excitedly yammering on about how great this dinner will be, how the food here in Bright Moon will be better than anything I've ever tasted. Once Adora runs to catch up to us, she reassures me of the same thing. We walk in with Scorpia and Perfuma.  
"So, Scorpia." I begin, as the scorpioni woman looks down at me. "How good is the food here?" I ask. Scorpia grins at me, and starts explaining how she's never even imagined food could taste as good as it does here, although she doesn't like the salad, since it's plain. She says it's the only thing she knows of that tastes worse than ration bars, but quickly makes sure that she hasn't offended Perfuma, who apparently made her a salad when she arrived here. The blonde flower princess doesn't take offense, to the relief of Scorpia.  
"No salad. Got it." I make a mental note. "Well, enjoy." I wave at Scorpia as she and Perfuma take their seats further over in the hall. Sparkles had explained to me that at Bright Moon feasts, everyone has a set place on a set table, determined by a place card. Around the room, there are many tables, and I inwardly groan.  
"Hey Catra! Over here!" Sparkles calls over, noticing my confused, and slightly panicked, expression. I tentatively walk over to an eight-seater table at the back of the room, illuminated by lights, where Sparkles sits between King Micah and Arrow Boy. To King Micah's left is Castaspella, and to her left is Adora. Next to the blonde heroine is an empty seat, presumably my seat. Adora beckons me over with a smile, and I quietly take my seat, unsure of what to say or do now, since everyone on the table seems to be in conversation with someone. Melog appears besides me, and I stroke her mane affectionately whilst taking in my surroundings. My glance lands on the numerous sets of cutlery in front of me, and I raise my brow. My mouth twitches, but I'm at a loss for what to say. Why do we need this many knives and forks and spoons?  
Under the table, Adora gently knocks me with her foot.  
"Start from the outside, and work your way in." She whispers to me.  
"Huh?" I ask. She nods towards the cutlery. "Ohhh." I realise.  
"Catra, my dear, I hope this isn't too much for you." Castaspella speaks, seemingly noticing my still-confused glance on the tiny forks and spoons at the edge of my cutlery set, and also at the two other men at the table, one seated next to me, another next to Arrow Boy. Sparkles regards me.  
"Before we start eating, maybe we need introductions. Catra's never been to a real feast before." She says. "You'll find that this table will be quite chatty during the meal." Sparkles informs me, directing her gaze specifically at Adora and Arrow Boy.  
"Well, excuse me for having awesome things to talk about. I can't help the fact that I can turn into an eight foot tall warrior lady." Adora tilts her head up in a seemingly indignant manner, but the playful smirk tugging at her lips betrays her, and she cracks, along with everyone else on the table.  
"So, Catra. Firstly, you never really had a proper chance to meet my dad, King Micah." Sparkles says, after calming down from her laughter.  
"What do I address him as? Sir? Boss?" I ask Adora, and the whole table cracks up.  
"You'll be fine with just Micah." The King tells me, laughing. I nod along.  
"And these are my dads, George and Lance." Arrow Boy introduces me to the other men on the table. I immediately gather that they're affectionate and kind of over-bearing.  
"Hi, I'm Lance! So nice to meet you!" The one next to me takes my hand, and shakes it vigorously. He is slim, with long dreadlocks.  
"Lance, do not tear Catra's arm off please. She needs it." George chides, but watches Lance with a warmth in his eyes.  
"Sorry, Catra. Lance is very...enthusiastic." George settles. I find myself laughing before I can stop myself.  
"You must be where Arrow Boy gets it from then." I acknowledge, and I immediately notice Adora's grip on my knee loosen, and Sparkles and Arrow Boy regarding me softly. I begin to talk with Arrow Boy and his dads, making the most of every opportunity I'm given to embarrass him.  
"Somebody make her sneeze. We'll see who's laughing then." Arrow Boy quips, and Adora and Sparkles giggle. "Seriously, it's the cutest sneeze you've ever heard, I guarantee it."  
"It's not-" Before I can finish my sentence, Sparkles clicks a little sparkle magic at me, and I sneeze.  
"I hate you." I state, wiping my nose with a napkin. Lance's eyes go mushy, and even Castaspella and Micah crack a smile.  
"See what I mean?" Bow asks, holding his fists to his face.  
"It's not cute!" I protest again, but upon picking up on Adora's mirth, I settle a little.  
"It's Adora-ble." Bow quips, noticing the soft look I'm giving my girlfriend.  
"You're the worst." I groan.

It isn't long before the waiters arrive with the starters. We begin with some soup, which upon first sight, I turn my nose up at.  
"Aren't you princesses meant to be fancy? Why've we got gruel?" I ask Sparkles, who laughs.  
"Believe me, that's not gruel. It tastes a whole lot better." Adora tells me. I frown down at the dish, but when its scent drifts up my nose, I lick my lips.  
"It's called soup, Catra." Micah tells me. "But, don't tuck in just yet." He says, before standing and clinking a glass. The chattering around the room ceases, replaced by silence. When the Fright Zone was in silence, it was cause for major concern, but this silence feels different.  
"Hello, everybody! It's been a great number of years since I've been to a feast, so you'll have to forgive me if I get something wrong." He begins. "Please, let me start by saying that it is a great honour to be seated here with you all, heroes of Etheria. Each and every one of you had your own role to play in ending the threat of Horde Prime, and now we sit here, together. Etheria still has much damage to be repaired, but for tonight, I want you all to cast this aside. The work can be saved for another day- you've all fought incredibly well. Now, the main part of my toast." He says.  
"That was just the beginning?" I murmur to Adora, who flicks my leg as a chiding.  
"Despite everyone's efforts in the war, I'd like to take a moment to toast, firstly, to our hero of the era, Adora. I haven't known you very long, Adora, but you are the reason that we are all seated here tonight, and for that, I thank you. Adora here saved both myself and Princess Entrapta from Beast Island, with the help of Bow of course. Despite the odds being admittedly stacked against her, she continued to fight the Horde, without She-Ra's powers. She bravely journeyed to the heart of Horde Prime's empire, in order to save her friends. I may not know a lot about Adora, but I know that she has an indominable will, and great strength, in every aspect. So I ask you, firstly, to raise a glass to Adora, and not She-Ra. It is Adora's selflessness and bravery that saved us all. To Adora!" The King cheers, followed by everyone else.  
"To Adora!" My girlfriend takes my hand in hers, guiding it around the rim of my glass, and lifting it up in the air, then dropping her hand as I keep mine elevated. Modest as ever, she won't toast to herself. I watch everyone carefully, and lower my glass when they do.  
"I won't keep you much longer, I'm sure the soups may be getting cold, but I'd like to make one other toast, to my daughter, Queen Glimmer of Bright Moon. The last time I saw Glimmer was when she was a tiny infant, and when being told that she was Queen, I felt like I had missed so much of her life, and that saddened me. But I'm not sad about it anymore, because I get to see the Queen my daughter has become. I'm very proud of her. So, a toast. To Queen Glimmer!"  
"Queen Glimmer!" Everyone choruses, even me.  
"Wait." Sparkles speaks. "I'm so sorry, but I have two, very short toasts. The first to my boyfriend, Tech Master Bow of the Rebellion. His message to Etheria, to stand up to Prime, gave everyone a great sense of hope, and inspired us to keep on fighting. So, thank you, for always giving us hope. To Bow!" Sparkles hoists her glass up once again, and despite how long this toast has been, it seems like everyone else doesn't mind.  
"My final toast, to our newest Rebellion recruit, and the newest member of the Best Friend Squad. I want to make a toast to Catra." She speaks, and I cough, choking on my drink.  
"Wh-What?" I sputter out.  
"You all think it was She-Ra who saved me from Prime, and there hasn't been enough time to share what happened, so I'll tell you. When kept in Prime's captive, Catra would sometimes visit me in my cell, and we would just sit, sometimes in silence, sometimes talking. She was my only connection to Etheria. One day, when I least expected it, she came barging into my cell. Catra doesn't do things by half." Sparkles quips, as the rest of the room share laughter. Even Adora chuckles along.  
"We'd talked earlier in the day, and it seemed I had made some impact. She asked me to come with her. Even despite our status as enemies, something had shifted. Catra was the one who saved me from Prime. She took out most of the clones that tried to stop us leaving, and was the one who teleported me back to Adora and Bow, even knowing the consequences she would suffer. Additionally, it was one of her ideas that made sure we all got back to Etheria without alerting the blockade." Sparkles continues on, shocking me with every word. Suddenly, I no longer feel Adora's hand on my knee, and when I look to her, she is standing, with her own glass.  
"I want to pitch in. Catra accompanied me to the Heart of Etheria. Without her...I would not have made it out, and Prime would have won; I was badly infected by both Prime's virus and a First One poison, but it was Catra who reawakened the spirit of She-Ra in me. She wouldn't give up on me, even refusing to leave my side when I warned her the Failsafe would not work without She-Ra. I am not the reason you are all seated here tonight. Catra is." Adora and Sparkles exchange a glance, and smile.  
"A toast to Catra!" They declare. I'm shocked when people start making that toast, but even more shocked when people start cheering my name. It gives me a memory of the Crimson Waste, and I glance to Scorpia. It seems she remembers that too. She is grinning at me, cheering loudly, as Perfuma and Frosta laugh at her excited nature.  
"Are you alright, dear?" Castaspella's question has me alert, and I wipe at my eyes, shocked at the salty water now on my hand.  
"I-uh," I can't even speak.  
"Oh bless." Lance puts a hand to his heart.  
"Hey. Hey, it's okay." Adora gently takes my hand in hers and rubs it affectionately. I sniff upwards, and hiccup slightly.  
"Making me cry in public is doing no favours for you, Sparkles." I say.  
"You neither." I speak pointedly to Adora.  
"Whatcha gonna do to me, Horde Scum?" Sparkles fires back, and I smile.  
"I told you. I want a new nickname."  
"We'll find one...Horde Scum."  
Despite the nickname, and its memories of the past, I find myself smiling as I dig into the (almost cold) soup. They toasted to me...these good, heroic people, toasted to me. For a moment, a feeling of warmth spreads through me. Not from the soup, but from this swelling in my heart, and the strangest word comes to mind to describe it.  
Belonging.


	5. the promise of love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which catra recalls her chipping, and adora comforts her in the way that she always has.  
> {under major reconstruction and subject to much change}

[Catra POV]  
"Those parties are exhausting." I tell Adora as we walk back into her room. Our room, now I suppose. Adora laughs at me as she kicks off her little white heels. How she's managed to walk around the whole evening in those, I'll never know.  
"You'll have to get used to them. After everything that's happened these last few months, there will be a lot of parties around Etheria. As my girlfriend, you'll have an invite to many, if not all." Adora explains. I smirk.  
"Say that again."  
"Say what again?" She responds.  
"What's my role again?" I ask. Adora smirks back at me.  
"Ohhh. You like me calling you my girlfriend." She teases.  
"Whatever, don't make a big deal." I say, shrugging my red over-shirt off my shoulders.  
"Wow, you like me." Adora teases, before grabbing me in a headlock. "That must be so embarrassing for you." She rubs my head with her fist. The last time she did this, I had my long hair, so this feels a lot different, not to mention the fact that we're not in some fake portal reality this time around.  
"Get offa me, you idiot. I never said anything about liking you."  
"Riiight." Adora scoffs. "Luckily for you, I'm really tired, so I'm gonna get my pyjamas and sleep. Glimmer says that one of the servants put a spare pair in the drawer for you. She figured it'd be nice for you to have some new ones. Want them?" Adora asks, offering me a smile as she opens the drawer, pulling out her tank top and shorts.  
"Sure. Uh, where's the bathroom? Saving the world is great, and so is the food that comes afterwards, but I really need to brush my teeth." I ask.  
"Oh yeah, it's just over there." Adora points at a door on the left hand side of the room. "It wasn't originally another room, but we did a little reconstructing after the Battle of Bright Moon." That seemed fair enough, given how much damage had happened during that particular battle.  
"So you always had a-" I stop when I open the door, and take in the sight before me.  
"-bathroom?" In front of me is a small room, with a bathtub in the centre, a sink, a toilet and even two little cupboards.  
"Impressive, right?" Adora says from behind, wrapping her arms around my waist.  
"I guess, if you're a spoiled princess." I shrug, moving her arms. "I'll cuddle later, I wanna brush my teeth right now." I chuckle. Adora pecks my cheek.  
"Okay. The little red brush is yours."  
"I'll be right in." I tell her. I gaze at my reflection as I brush my teeth, sighing to myself. Adora comes in moments later in her pyjamas, picking up her own white toothbrush.  
"It's funny, isn't it? Going from the future we wanted in the Horde to this?" Adora asks, putting some toothpaste on the brush.  
"I mean, we could still rule the world." I say, spitting out my toothpaste.  
"I'm sure no one would object to you ruling Etheria." I wink. Adora laughs, muffled by the toothbrush.  
"Sure, there'd be a few objections to me ruling by your side, but I'm sure you'd stop anyone who stood in our way." I joke. Adora spits out her toothpaste, wiping her mouth on a towel and gently pressing a kiss on my lips.  
"You know, I saw a vision of the future. When we were down at the Heart." She reveals.  
"What kind of vision?" I ask, intrigued, following her back into the bedroom.  
"That would be telling. I just really hope it happens." Adora smiles.  
"It will." I vow. 

I thought that maybe after my peaceful nap in the afternoon, sleeping at night wouldn't be a problem. I was wrong.  
_"You will be of use to me yet." Those words sent a chill through me, as I stared up at Prime. I should have tried to fight again, but it was no use. I'd already surrendered. 'For Adora', I remind myself.  
"Do what you want." I shrug.  
"Now, little sister. Where has all of your fight gone?" Prime asks, standing now, looming above me.  
"I told you before. I don't care what you do to me." I spit.  
"And I told you, I will get to your precious Adora."  
"She's not mi-" Prime grips my face, tightly, and images of Adora suddenly swarm to the forefront of my mind. So many images it hurts. As little kids, four years old and the promise we made to each other; when we were ten and Rogelio accidentally scratched Adora; when we were twelve, and Adora broke her wrist when she fell from the rickety steps we always used to get to our hangout point (Shadow Weaver was not happy about that). The memories continue, to when we were fifteen, I stole all of Adora's hair ties, and she was so mad at me for it, not only because it made her late to training, but she'd tripped and fell into one of the trap zones too, blaming it on the hair in her face. So many more memories, even after she left the Horde. Princess Prom, the Battle of Bright Moon, when I took her captive in the Crimson Waste, the Portal, Elberon...it all appears painfully real again.  
"Oh, but she is precious to you, little sister. She brings you a lot of pain. She left you, didn't she? She turned her back on you, replaced you. You loved her, am I correct? In fact, you still do. Your foolish sacrifice has made that quite clear." I love her? That's it, isn't it? What I've been feeling about her, for such a long time?  
"Yes, that's right, child. You love her, care for her, despite all she has put you through. But, answer me, Catra, would she do the same for you?" Prime's question lingers. She always has to be the hero, so I think she would...but I asked her not to. I made my peace. Prime can kill me, right now, and it would all still be worth it. For Adora.  
"Ah, so you think this is the end for you? My child, this is just the beginning. You will still be the treasure of my empire." He tells. Two clones grab me from behind.  
"Now, let us go." He tells, as we all walk away from the room. A sinking feeling settles in my stomach. We continue to walk, out of his throne room, in silence, but sickness rises to my stomach. This route is familiar. It is then that I see it. That bright room. The room where Prime had ordered me to get Sparkles to talk, the room where I learned what would happen to me should I disobey him, where I had watched Hordak become 'the purest' amongst the clones. In my blinded state of emotion, I had forgotten about this. What use would he have for me when I am deceased? I was foolish to forget his threat. He's going to make me into one of them...  
I tense, before protesting the hold that the guards have on me.  
"Let me go! I'm not one of your clones! Let go of me!" I scream. It makes no difference, as the clones only seem to pick up their pace. We enter the room, and six more clones are gathered. I kick and scream, and grunt. Tears prick at my eyes, my nose burning, and fear settles into me.  
"Adora..." I murmur. The clones toss me into the green pool at the centre of the room, as my feet land on a cold surface.  
"No! Don't do this!" I scream, holding my arms out. "Adora!" I cry out, tears falling from my face. Prime smirks.  
"Yes, that's right child. Beg for her. But then, you always have been, haven't you? You have spent your whole life yearning for her, a future with her. You've done many terrible things, committed so many crimes." He emphasises the 'so many'.  
"But it didn't matter, did it? Because all you wanted was your Adora. Your Adora who left you."  
"No, she...she tried to get me to-"  
"Go with her? Into Glimmer's Rebellion? Then why didn't you?" Prime asks. The green liquid, too sticky to be water, begins to rise around me. Or am I sinking? I don't know what's happening. My vision begins to blur, my memories of Adora stronger than they've ever been, even when I helped Glimmer escape. Of course she would come for Glimmer. Even though this glittery, young and stupid Queen had nearly destroyed Etheria, and herself, Adora had still come rushing in. That's what friends did, wasn't it? Adora would always come running after me when I was in trouble in the Horde, but she wouldn't now. After three years of bitter fighting, I have made my choice. She won't come after me this time. She gave up long ago on asking me to join the Rebellion, and now it seems it was the right choice.  
'For Adora.' I remind myself.  
"Three years of pain and suffering, child. Your Adora only causes you only that. Your mind...oh, this is troubling indeed. This heartache, I can almost feel it myself. So raw, even three years old. You were abandoned, left for these people who you had been poisoned against for seventeen years. She left in the blink of an eye. She asked you to come with her. But you still refused. She stopped fighting for you to join her. Oh, my child, your mind is so ensnared in this grief. My heart aches for your torture." Horde Prime speaks. I go to retort with something, anything, but I cannot speak now.  
The green liquid burns at my lungs as I sink, thrashing, desperately trying to get out of this. I never learned how to swim though, did I?  
'I always find a way out.' I remember telling Glimmer. I was wrong, this time. For the last time. I feel Prime's presence in my head, and I know that I am doomed to this fate. It's karma, I guess. I succumb to the thought of regret. Regretting not following in Adora's footsteps to join the Rebellion, regretting not leaving the Horde before the portal, regretting the portal itself. But most of all, I regret not telling Adora that all I wanted was her.  
"Oh, my child, you will het your chance to tell her." Prime speaks. I look up, through the thick green liquid as he sneers.  
"Right before I destroy her." Prime's voice rings in my head, that last sentence repeating over and over, before a sharp pain stabs into the back of my neck, and everything goes fuzzy and blank. _

_I sit up, screaming, panting, with my chest heaving. My heart is hammering, and my hand flies to my neck, where a scar remains, a scar from that damned chip. Adora is next to me, sitting up, panicked by my screaming.  
"Catra? Hey, hey, what's wrong?" She asks as I whimper, unable to speak. The blonde holds me close to her, and I inhale her familiar scent. Vanilla, I know now. That had always been her scent, ever since we were kids, but I could never understand why. There was never anything remotely close to vanilla in the Fright Zone. But now, I know that Adora is not even from Etheria, she is a First One, and that scent of hers probably lingers from her home-world.  
"What happened?" Adora asks me, her tone gentler, stroking my short hair in her hands. Even without the chip, my memories of what happened whilst it was on still remain. I remember Prime, getting his clones to use that horrible green liquid to hold back my hair, and tie it into one long ponytail. Remembering now, it was a nice look, I suppose, but Prime had not liked it and instead, cut it off, leaving only my short hair behind. In his 'light', I had been okay with this decision. After my rescue, the first thing I asked Glimmer and Adora to do for me was to cut it even shorter, to take back some control. But it doesn't matter, does it? No matter how much control I try to regain, he's always going to be able to reach me, even if he's gone.  
"I-I just...I was remembering what happened after I helped Sparkles escape." I admit, heaving a deep sigh. Adora's blue eyes bore into mine with worry, but I move away from her slightly.  
"I'll be okay." I say, although I don't believe it. Adora sighs, and I know she doesn't believe me either. She places a hand over mine, circling her thumb over the back of my hand in a calming motion.  
"I have nightmares too, y'know? Before I left to come save Glimmer and you, I kept having this nightmare about She-Ra. It just turns out she was trying to tell me she still exists." Adora shrugs.  
"What I'm saying is, you've got me to turn to. My nightmares aren't as bad as yours, and even though we've both been through some pretty traumatic stuff, maybe my nightmares will never be as bad as yours. But I'm not leaving you again. I'm right here, if you ever want to talk about it."  
It's incredible, really, how even after three years, Adora can read me well enough to know that talking about my nightmare in depth is something I'm uncomfortable with. The moonlight shines onto her featires, however its light is dimming as the promise of a new dawn approaches. Speaking of promises...  
"You promise?" I ask, referring to her speech. Adora smiles.  
"I promise." She tells me, before placing a kiss on my lips. I kiss her back, smiling, before cuddling back into her._


	6. the shadow that pierces the light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> after shadow weaver's sacrifice in order to save adora, catra, and even etheria, queen glimmer decides to hold a memorial for the sorceress, but everyone's having mixed feelings. after all, 'you're welcome' are hardly heroic last words, are they?

[Adora POV]  
When I awake in the morning, Catra is lay peacefully beside me, one hand in my own, snoring quietly. Her short hair is messy, but that's the way it's always been. In fact, seeing it so clean-cut when she was controlled by Prime was what scared me most, apart from the dangerous green glint in her eyes.  
I take a lock of the soft hair in my hands, and smooth it away from her forehead. She begins to stir, mumbling.  
"Hey, Adora." She murmurs softly, moving the hand that held onto mine over her eyes to shield from the morning sun.  
"Can we get curtains?" She asks, and I laugh.  
"If you want to." I respond, feelin nothing but bliss in this one peaceful moment. Catra sits up, stretches, and scratches her back, just as she always has done.  
"What time is it?" Catra grumbles. We'd stayed up until about five this morning, just talking. Even after I had reassured her that everything would be okay, she was still shaky, and her heart beat was so loud I could hear it- it was beating in a worryingly quick rate, but not a surprising rate, given the nature of her nightmare.  
I look over to the big clock on the wall, squinting my sleep-filled eyes to read the time.  
"Nine." I inform her. I take a moment to register this, before realisation dawns on me, and I jump out of the bed, whilst Catra stares after me, confused.  
"Breakfast!" I shout, grabbing my jacket from the back of the desk chair and the rest of my pre-prepared clothes from the seat of the chair. See, thinking ahead always works out.  
"Quick, get dressed!" I order Catra, before running into the bathroom. My girlfriend groans a few times, but I eventually hear her feet hit the floor, as she presumably goes to grab her own clothes.  
"What are you talking about? Why are you suddenly yelling about breakfast?" She asks as I pull on my white turtleneck.  
"Breakfast stops getting served at half nine." I inform Catra. Food hadn't really been a priority of mine over the last few months, given how my main goal was to get Glimmer back from the Velvet Glove, Prime's flagship. I always made sure to have something at the start of the day though, so that I'd be able to work properly, even if it was just an oatmeal bar.  
"And? You can just get Sparkles and Arrow Boy to raid the kitchen with you, eat some cake straight off the platter with your bare hands. I hear you're good at that. Pigs." Catra says, as I come back into the bedroom, tugging on my boot.  
"Oh yeah? Where'd you hear that?" I ask, intrigued, as I pick up my belt from the desk, and wrap it around my jacket.  
"Sparkles, duh. We spent a month in captivity together, plenty of time to talk." Catra informs me, pulling on her black shoulder garment, and fastening it at the centre.  
"It was closer to two months, actually." I tell. Catra scoffs.  
"Whatever. Let's just go get some breakfast so you can stop running around." She says, pulling me out of the room with her.

When we reach the meal room, we find King Micah, seated alongside Glimmer, Castaspella and Bow. Opposite from Glimmer is Scorpia. Every other Princess had returned to their kingdoms last night, and Spinnerella and Netossa had gone on a break in a small cottage in the Whispering Woods. Netossa said it was a late anniversary present, given how Spinnerella was under Prime's control when their actual anniversary was.  
"Wow, Adora slept in late? Bow, hold me, I may faint." Glimmer mocks, holding a dramatic hand to her forehead. Everyone laughs at her.  
"Rude." I scoff.  
"No, she's got a point." Catra states.  
"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side!" I protest, as the feline girl chuckles, taking her seat next to Scorpia, and glancing at the multiple foods on the table. "So where do I start?" She asks, directing her gaze at Glimmer.  
"Eat anything you want." Glimmer shrugs, smiling.  
"Great." Catra grins. "As for you, Adora, consider it payback for all the times you woke me up in the middle of the night because you were bored. That's the only reason I barely bothered during training, I was too tired to think. But, you? Oh no, you were perfectly fine. Payback, it's a fine thing." Catra tells, munching on a croissant. I take my seat next to her, rolling my eyes, before taking the croissant from her hands.  
"Hey!" She protests, as I bite into the pastry.  
"Yeah, real fine thing." I laugh. Catra pouts, but takes another croissant.  
"So, what's everyone doing today?" Castaspella asks. As she finishes her sentence, a guard walks through the door.  
"Queen Glimmer, Princess Perfuma has just arrived from Plumeria. She's ready to start the preparations for the memor-"  
"I'll be right there!" Glimmer interrupts. She shoves the rest of her cinnamon swirl onto Bow's plate, before teleporting over to the guard and grabbing them before disappearing in a shimmer of sparkles.  
"Well that was weird." Catra comments, grabbing some pancakes. She bites into one, and her eyes widen.  
"What. Are. These?" She asks.  
"They're called pancakes. Have you not had them before?" King Micah asks.  
"I'm from the Horde, like Adora. We didn't really have these pancake things, or any nice food to be honest. Grey rations were the best we got." Catra explains.  
"Ah, I see. Well, there's plenty more where they came from, so don't be afraid to eat up." Micah smiles, before taking a sip of his drink. I bite down into my eggs, as Glimmer appears back in the room.  
"Hi, I'm back!" She announces.  
"Really? I couldn't tell." Catra comments sarcastically.  
"What was that even about?" I ask.  
"What was what about?" Glimmer asks, taking her seat.  
"The guard?" I remind her.  
"It's nothing."  
"Glimmer." I fold my arms.  
"Honestly it's nothing!"  
"Scorpia will ask Perfuma. You know we'll get the truth then." I press.  
"I will?" Scorpia asks. I stare pointedly at her. "Uh, I mean, I will, yes!" Glimmer sighs.  
"You were all going to find out eventually." Catra raises a brow, and Bow and Micah sit up in their seats. "I maybe, sorta organised a memorial for Shadow Weaver." Glimmer reveals. Mine and Scorpia's mouths fall open, and Catra and Micah freeze.  
"A memorial? But why?" Bow breaks the silence.  
"Catra and Adora told me that Shadow Weaver sacrificed herself so that they could get to the Heart. Memorials are being held all over Etheria for people who fell in the battle. I just thought it might be nice...for you guys to say goodbye." Glimmer explains, rubbing a hand on her arm. Catra is still frozen in her seat. Scorpia glances at her worriedly, but as she reaches her pincer out, the feline girl rises, and leaves the room.  
"Catra!" Glimmer calls. I stand.  
"I'll go."

When I find Catra, she is sat on a balcony, overlooking Bright Moon's garden.  
"Catra…" I begin.  
"What is she _thinking_?" My girlfriend immediately asks, and I catch on that she is referring to Glimmer.  
"She's only trying to help." I reason, swinging my legs over the balcony, and sitting next to Catra.  
"I just don't get how she thinks Shadow Weaver deserves a memorial. Like, I get it, she sacrificed herself, but she was a horrible person. Nothing can change that..." Catra trails off. "...At least not for me." She admits. I gently take her hand.  
"Nobody's denying that Shadow Weaver was horrible. She manipulated Glimmer too, don't forget. Micah was once a student of Shadow Weaver's, so Glimmer has a lot of reason to hate her too."  
"Then why doesn't she? If she did, she wouldn't be throwing this stupid memorial." Catra argues, not bothering to look at me.  
"I know you still care about Shadow Weaver." I say, and Catra regards me with an angered expression.  
"What? No I don't." "Yes, Catra. You do. You cried when she died, Melog had to cuddle you when we told Glimmer. You wanted her to be proud of you. I know you were upset when it happened."  
"Yeah, exactly, Adora. 'Were'. Past tense. I'm fine, jeez." Catra says, folding her arms across her chest.  
"You made me promise that I'd always be here to talk to you, so why are you pushing me away?" I ask, my heart hurting.  
"I'm not pushing you away!" Catra yells. I flinch, noticeably.  
"Adora." Catra speaks, putting her head in her hands. "Look, I don't do all of this emotion stuff. It's hard, okay?"  
"I get that, Catra. I had to make the transition from Horde life to Rebellion life too."  
"Yeah, but you hadn't destroyed almost all of Etheria before doing that. You were always the more emotionally inclined one anyway. You always knew where you wanted to go in life, what you wanted to do. You wanted to fight for the Horde because you believed that freeing Etheria from the princesses made you a hero. When you joined the Rebellion, you became a hero anyway. I never knew what I wanted to do, or where I wanted to go. I hadn't imagined life without you, so when you left, I didn't know what to do or think. I just became this really bitter person. I became like Shadow Weaver, wanting all the power I could get."  
"You were never like Shadow Weaver." I reassure her.  
"My point is, I went down this really dark road. You never did." I take both of Catra's hands in my own, and hold them to my chest.  
"Catra, there has always been good in you. That's why I never gave up on you. So, please, as your best friend, as your _girlfriend_ , I'm asking you to trust me, and talk to me. I can't understand what you're going through until you tell me how you really feel." I say. Catra sighs, and moves her hands, setting them at the side of her.  
"It's not that I still care, Adora. I'm just so angry at her. How dare she leave us, at that point? You don't just say that you're proud of someone, and then say 'you're welcome' as if that makes everything she's ever done to us better. She was acting like she brought us together, but she tried to tear us apart- she nearly did! She did one tiny little good deed, and she acts as if she's our very saviour. How could she do that to us, Adora?" Catra's chest is rising and falling quickly, like it does when she's angry.  
"She always said you were destined for greatness. When she sacrificed herself for us, her saying 'you're welcome' is like her saying that she made you the hero that you are, when she didn't. You did that by yourself, or at least with the help of the Rebellion."  
"You helped me too, y'know." I nudge my girlfriend's shoulder.  
"Me? I tried to kill you. A lot."  
"But, think about it. If you hadn't wanted to get out of the Fright Zone, I would never have borrowed that skiff."  
"Stolen." Catra protests, with a smile on her face.  
"Borrowed."  
"It was stolen."  
"Look, this isn't the point. The point is that without you, I wouldn't have found the Sword. I owe it all to you." I admit. Catra's cheeks go pink.  
"Yeah, yeah whatever." She says, before laying a hand on her shoulder. "I'll go to the dumb memorial."  
"Wait, what?" I recoil slightly.  
"I'll go. Sparkles went to the effort, I may as well be there. Although, if there's a statue, I'm _so_ punching it." I tackle Catra in a hug, only to remember that we're on a balcony.  
"Hey, be careful you idiot! We could fall!" Catra tries to push me away, as I grin.

[Glimmer POV]  
"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all." I tell my dad and Aunt Casta.  
"Oh, my sweet Glimmer, you were only trying to do what you thought was best." Aunt Casta consoles, putting a hand on my shoulder.  
"I could tell that Catra was hurting. I thought maybe she just needed something positive to remember Shadow Weaver by."  
"Maybe we all do." My dad speaks. I glance up at him.  
"What do you mean?"  
"We all think of Shadow Weaver in a negative light. Maybe we all need the memorial to see her as the hero she thinks she died as." My father shrugs, but I can see a struggle behind his eyes.  
"You miss her?" I ask.  
"Maybe. She was my childhood mentor, and she saved me once or twice during the battle between the Rebellion and Horde Prime. She seemed genuinely concerned, but nobody really knows how Shadow Weaver is feeling...not even Adora or Catra. I imagine it must be harder for them than anyone. Shadow Weaver was practically their mother."  
"And the way Catra ran out of breakfast. The poor thing." Aunt Casta sympathises.  
"Adora went to find her, I'm sure she'll be fine. If there's one thing I've learned about Catra and Adora, it's that they are stronger together." My dad says.  
"Yeah." I smile. They really are. 

[Catra POV]  
At midday, we all gather in the garden of Bright Moon, and descend the steps, walking down the steps to a type of greenhouse. Through the glass, I can see dark roses, amongst other flowers.  
"Are you sure you're ready to do this?" Sparkles asks both me and Adora.  
"Yeah." I respond. Adora squeezes my hand.  
"We're ready." She confirms. We walk into the greenhouse, and see a statue of Shadow Weaver, made from vines and flowers. Stood next to it are Perfuma and Scorpia. The flowers on the statue catch my interest.  
"What are these?" I ask.  
"They're called daisies." Perfuma informs me.  
"Shadow Weaver once told me she found them cheerful." Sparkles explains.  
"We didn't have daisies in the Fright Zone." Adora tells.  
"She really liked them when she was Light Spinner though." Micah tells. "She picked them out from the gardens once a week."  
"Definitely did not have Shadow Weaver down as a flower type." Scorpia comments.  
"Yeah well, without my self hatred in Bright Moon, I guess she had to grow something." I mumble, but immediately regret it.  
"Uh, I mean-"  
"Catra, it's okay. We all had our own demons with Shadow Weaver." Castaspella assures me, clenching her fists bitterly. I immediately remember our mission to Mystacor when she had mentioned something about Shadow Weaver roping Micah into her dark magic at an early age.  
"For today though, I suppose we must focus on the positive memories. Does anyone have a start?" Castaspella asks.  
"I mean, she was pretty mean to us as kids, but I remember the first time Shadow Weaver taught me to tie my shoelaces." Adora suggests.  
"You got them tangled together, you remember?" I laugh.  
"Yeah! We fell down that flight of stairs, remember?" Adora laughs back.  
"Course I do, I've got the scar on my hand to prove it. You were such an idiot, even then."  
"You love calling Adora an idiot, don't you?" Sparkles asks, grinning.  
"I can't help that she's stupid. You shoulda seen her, on the day before she defected from the Horde. She fell into one of the training pits, and was just hanging there, she looked so stupid." I shriek in laughter as Adora dives at me. Castaspella and Glimmer chuckle, holding a hand to their mouths, where Bow, Perfuma and Scorpia laugh wholeheartedly. However, Perfuma is the first to stop laughing, covering her mouth.  
"Should we be laughing at a memorial?" She asks. Micah sighs.  
"It's very disrespectful." He speaks. "I think you should tell us more stories." Micah smiles. Whilst laughing and joking at Shadow Weaver's memorial may not have been respectful, it seemed the only way for us all to get through the memorial. Together.  



	7. the new alliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the rebellion holds its first meeting since horde prime's defeat.

[Adora POV]  
A week after Shadow Weaver's memorial, Glimmer holds the first Rebellion meeting since the war ended.  
I'm sat in her room with Catra and Bow, as she paces.  
"You've never worried about holding meetings before. Is everything okay?" Bow asks. Glimmer gives him a small smile.  
"Yeah, it's just...it's never been the full alliance has it? Not only do we finally have all the Princesses, we have Hordak and Wrong Hordak too, as well as Catra and Melog of course." Glimmer says, nodding at Catra and Melog, both of whom are snuggled next to me. "Then there's my dad. He's never seen me hold a meeting before. What if my usual style of dealing with things isn't what he's used to? I'm a different ruler than my mom was." Glimmer panics.  
"No offence Sparkles, but since when have you ever cared about what other people think about you?" Catra asks. I nod.  
"She's right, Glimmer. I'm sure your dad will be proud whatever approach you take." I reassure her.  
"You sure?"  
"Positive." I affirm. Glimmer claps her hands together.  
"Hey, I was thinking, you know-"She begins.  
"Ooh, dangerous game Sparkles. Let us know if you get a headache." Catra quips, as Glimmer pouts.  
"You'll be the one with a headache once I'm done with you. Don't forget, Horde Scum, I nearly obliterated you in that cave." Glimmer says back, summoning some sparkles to her hand.  
"What cave?" I ask. Catra and Glimmer both turn their heads to the side.  
"I'll explain another time. Continue."  
"I was thinking," Glimmer resumes, "since the war's over, we could all use a change of clothes, at least until we go out into space."  
"Oooh, are you suggesting we finally get Adora some new clothes. I like the idea." Catra grins. I look down at my outfit.  
"There's nothing wrong with my outfit!" I protest.  
"You have kinda wore it for at least three years." Bow inputs. I scoff.  
"You've worn that same armour since I've known you. And besides, I own different jackets and shirts and trousers, it's not like I wear the same ones day in, day out." I argue.  
"The only change of clothes I've ever seen you in was your spacesuit and your red dress." Glimmer says.  
"Hey, what about the white one I wore to the party last week? And my She-Ra transformations. Since I had more armour at the Battle of Bright Moon, that's three She-Ra forms, with my casual clothes, then my two dresses, that's six outfits. I've only ever seen Bow in three, if you count his Battle of Bright Moon armour." I respond, counting the amount of outfits on my hands.  
"Well I've changed my outfit often enough, so I don't come into this." Catra says, with a smirk.  
"You changed your hair too. What _did_ happen to your ear tufts?" Glimmer asks.  
"I just cut them off." Catra shrugs.  
"Yeah, they would have ruined her new look." Bow jokes.  
"I cut them off before I even thought of an outfit change, thank you."  
"What inspired the outfit change anyway? I thought you'd always be the girl with wild hair." I ask. After seeing Catra with messy hair all of our lives, it was a shock to see her at Elberon with no hair tufts and straight hair.  
"I was the second-in command of the Horde, it was time I wore something new. I couldn't basically rule an army in what I was wearing, it didn't scream 'power'." Catra shrugs again. "Anyway, can we drop this? The meeting starts in like, a minute, and it's like a five minute walk from here."  
"Then let's go the fun way!" Glimmer grabs us all, as well as a folder from her desk (the folder just proves how nervous she is) and poofs us into the War Room where King Micah, Mermista, Sea Hawk, Frosta and Castaspella are already gathered. As King Micah waves at us, Catra hunches over.  
"One of these days, I'm going to be sick on you, and then you'll regret teleporting with me." She speaks, as Glimmer laughs, ruffling the brunette's hair. Catra pouts.  
"Get off." She protests, moving away from Glimmer, who greets her father warmly. I take my seat, as Catra sits on my lap.  
"Catra, you literally have a chair right next to me." I say.  
"It's fun to annoy you." Catra says, laughing. Glimmer stares pointedly at my girlfriend, who frowns, and moves into her seat.  
"Who named you the Queen of Seats?" She pouts. As she finishes her sentence, Scorpia and Perfuma walk through the door, followed by Entrapta, Hordak and Wrong Hordak.  
"Good morning!" Scorpia beams. Everyone responds in a similar manner around the table. After Entrapta takes her seat, Hordak awkwardly sits on Emily, as Wrong Hordak explores the room.  
"Right. Now that everyone is here, let's begin. Firstly, to state the obvious, the war is over!" Glimmer cheers. We all cheer along with her- even Catra has a warm smile on her face.  
"However, there is still a lot of work to be done. There are kingdoms that need rebuilding, people that need housing and food, spires to get rid of, etcetera. There is a lot to do, even though Etheria is at peace. Or supposedly, we are." At that sentence, a few people tilt their heads, which Glimmer notices. She brings up the map of Etheria on the War Table. Wrong Hordak is immediately interested, but Entrapta uses one of her ponytails to drag him away. Castaspella casts a quick spell to make a seat for the clone, which delights him. As he takes his seat, Glimmer continues.  
"Ever since the war ended, there have been several former Horde soldiers who have continued to try and take Etheria for the Horde." Glimmer explains.  
"But the Horde doesn't exist anymore." Catra speaks.  
"Exactly. The former soldiers have teamed up with some of Horde Prime's clones, and are using the Fright Zone as their base of operations."  
"But why would they do that?" Bow asks.  
"Simple. With Horde Prime destroyed, his clones are in utter disarray. They no longer have their superior to look up to, and they have all been left on a foreign planet. Magic has always been Horde Prime's weakness, and they are on a planet that is absolutely filled with it. What I propose is a mission, into the Fright Zone. For Catra and Hordak." Glimmer says.  
"You're kidding, right?" Catra asks. I frown at her.  
"What could you possibly expect us to do?" Hordak questions.  
"Hordak, you were once Horde Prime's second in command, am I correct?" Glimmer inquires. Hordak nods.  
"Yes, but-"  
"As his second in command, you are likely to know about how he kept the clones under control. Catra, as your second in command, knows how to control your soldiers. I believe that if you both infiltrate the Fright Zone, you can move them out of there, and stop their army from growing. Even unchipped, some of Etheria's crooks may be swayed to join their side. If that happens, we could have another battle on our hands. Yes, it would be one much simpler than the battle against Horde Prime, however we do not need any more conflict. What we need is for people to work together to rebuild Etheria. Once the Hordlings-" I snort.  
"Hordlings? That is such a stupid name." I laugh.  
"That's the least intimidating thing I've ever heard." Catra laughs along with me.  
"They sound like little furry animals!" Scorpia says, smiling.  
"Like the Pookas on Beast Island!" Bow exclaims, causing myself and Micah to laugh.  
"They sound like a kids toy." Frosta contributes. Glimmer clears her throat.  
"Anyway." She speaks pointedly. "Once they are out of the Fright Zone, and hopefully willing to help the Rebellion and Etheria, we can begin plans to reconstruct Scorpia's kingdom." Glimmer explains. Scorpia's cheeks go a little pink.  
"My kingdom?" Scorpia asks.  
"Yeah. The Horde took your kingdom, your birth-right from you. Now that you're reconnected to the Black Garnet, you're an Elemental Princess, thus you have to have a kingdom. I won't lie, it will probably take a very long time to rebuild." Glimmer admits.  
"You think I could manage running a kingdom? I could barely manage running a fortress." Scorpia says.  
"You were actually pretty capable, you know." Glimmer admits. Scorpia's cheeks redden.  
"I totally agree! I thought you were Catra." I laugh. Catra stares at me.  
"Scorpia is a lot taller than me, are you really that stupid?" She asks, the corners of her mouth tugging in a smile.  
"Excuse me, you had been in charge of almost every mission since I left." I protest with a pout.  
"So all the hours we spent planning on how to deal with Catra were a total waste of time." Frosta concludes.  
"Not necessarily. It was fun to see how everyone viewed her." Glimmer laughs.  
"The way you saw her almost had me in stitches." I snort.  
"Oh no, how did she see me?" Catra asks, groaning.  
"We'll have to show you sometime." Bow says, smiling. "Ohhh, when your hair grows to about shoulder length, we should totally dress you up how Glimmer saw you!" He exclaims, giddy.  
"Not a chance Arrow Boy." Catra deadpans.  
"Mine was clearly the best. It was so accurate!" Frosta adds.  
"I'm with Frosta. Hers was the only one that didn't involve different hair styles or makeup or clothing." I agree.  
"What did you people do to me?" Catra groans.  
"If this is how your meetings go, I am ashamed that the Horde lost to the Rebellion." Hordak speaks, clearly unimpressed. Catra grunts.  
"The Horde lost to the Rebellion fair and square." She argues.  
"I'm surprised you of all people are defending the Rebellion, _Force Captain Catra_."  
" _Former_ Force Captain Catra." My girlfriend corrects him. "Besides, I've changed. Too bad you haven't." Hordak goes to rise in an angry manner, when Glimmer shouts:  
"Enough!" Catra folds her arms, as Hordak sits back down, with Entrapta holding his arm, which appears to calm him.  
"My meeting isn't the time or the place for your disputes. If you have something to say to one another, please do so outside the grounds of my castle." Glimmer instructs. It occurs to me how much she sounds like Angella right now. Glimmer truly is moulding into a true Queen. Apparently, King Micah has the same thought, as he regards his daughter with a warmth in his eyes that can only come from the memory of Angella. Glimmer inhales, and calmly continues.  
"For the Fright Zone mission, I am also going to send along Entrapta and Adora. She-Ra may be useful, if the Hordlings try to attack. Entrapta, your role will be to hack into the Fright Zone power grid, and shut it down. Whatever First Ones tech you find that may be useful, I want you to bring it back, for the Rebellion to use to restore Etheria to its former glory. Get the tech before shutting the grid down, or else it will be pointless, do you understand?" Glimmer asks, as Entrapta nods keenly. She makes some notes on her tracker pad.  
"This plan is highly optimistic, not to mention foolishly reliant on compliance and friendship. You are failing to preempt an ambush, not to mention how the clones are not as easily influenced as...some of us." Hordak states, staring over at Wrong Hordak who is currently staring at the mural behind Glimmer and Micah.  
"He's right." I agree.  
"Thank you, Adora." Hordak says, sitting cooly back into his seat.  
"Whilst your plan is more well-planned than our usual plans, it lacks clarity and forethought. When we went to recover Scorpia, we failed to anticipate that she would have backup. We ended up pushed into a corner. Without Perfuma's influence on Scorpia, or Glimmer's teleporting, barely any of us would have made it out, if any. We need a map of the Fright Zone, a plan on where to infiltrate, but before anything, we need a source on what is happening in the Fright Zone. I propose we contact Double Trouble to infiltrate as a clone and find out what they can."  
"Double Trouble has a habit for changing sides unexpectedly." Hordak mentions.  
"Be as that may, they only ever choose the winning side. They will clearly choose the side with She-Ra on, given how she just saved the world, if not the universe." Micah chips in.  
"Double Trouble was useful during the battle against Prime. They're the one who informed us of the blockade." Sea Hawk inputs.  
"Then it's decided. Scorpia, the Fright Zone is your kingdom, so as such, it should be you who contacts Double Trouble. Let them know that they will be well paid." Glimmer speaks, as Scorpia nods. Perfuma offers her a reassuring smile.  
"Now that that's sorted, we need to organise how we're going to restore the kingdoms. With the magic of Etheria set free, the runestones should be back to full capability. If that is the case, we should all be a lot stronger. The first kingdom we need to focus on is Salineas." Glimmer announces. I notice Catra's ears droop a little, so I take her hand under the table, offering her a smile.  
"I already said that I'd help Mermista with Salineas." Catra speaks, a pink tint to her cheeks.  
"That's great! So, Mermista, what are your plans?" Glimmer asks, taking her seat, as Mermista stands.  
"The plan is simple. The Sea Gate is the first thing that needs to be rebuilt, so we're gonna have to have She-Ra for that. Whilst Adora does her, like, magic glowy thing, a few of us will be within the kingdom itself. Since the gate was destroyed, there was, like, a lot of damage. I'm thinking if we get a team together to help reconstruct, the kingdom itself should be back to normal by summer next year. We want to focus on the rebuild of the Sea Gate and the palace. The palace will give people somewhere to stay whilst the houses are being rebuilt." Mermista explains.  
"And the coastal towns?" I inquire.  
"Most of the civilians are in shelters in Plumeria, but we lost a lot of supplies when Thaymor and Elberon were invaded by both the Horde and Prime." Perfuma says. Catra turns to whisper to me.  
"Why would it matter about Elberon and Thaymor?" She asks.  
"Thaymor and Elberon are part of Plumeria." I explain. Catra nods, understanding.  
"As for the coastal houses, we may need some supplies from other kingdoms." Mermista says.  
"Mystacor retained the least damage, and with our vast amount of sorcerors, we should be able to assist the rebuild of both the kingdom and the towns using our supplies and magic. If we focus on using magic for the kingdom, we could use supplies on the coastal town." Castaspella offers. Glimmer nods along.  
"That's not a bad idea."  
"The Kingdom of Snows lost supplies during the war, but we remained pretty untouched otherwise. Prime barely touched us. I'm pretty sure we can find some supplies to help out though." Frosta speaks. Mermista grins.  
"Awesome."  
"Bright Moon still needs to focus on ground recovery, but we should have some supplies for you. The Whispering Woods protected us from much of Prime's attacks, however, the Moonstone chamber still retained damage, which we are still rebuilding." Micah adds. Glimmer rises from her seat.  
"That sorts out Salineas. We'll convene in a few weeks time in the palace in Salineas, and see where we can go from there. Plumeria will need supplies too, given how much they lost with Elberon and Thaymor. Mystacor has recovered nicely from its time under Prime's control. How's Dryl doing Entrapta?" Glimmer asks. The tech princess has her head in her tracker pad.  
"Entrapta!" Glimmer yells.  
"Oh sorry, were you talking to me? I've just wrote up a plan on how to shut down the power grid at The Fright Zone, but also, I've figured out how we can use the system, and redesign it so that it'll be useful to Scorpia when she rebuilds her kingdom." Entrapta explains, with a toothy grin. She slides Glimmer the tracker pad.  
"I'll look in a moment. But, Entrapta, how is Dryl doing?" Glimmer repeats, taking the tracker pad and sliding it next to her folder.  
"Dryl's fantastic! We're using left-behind Horde technology to enhance our defences, so you can have some if you like! Plus, we had very little damage thanks to Mermista and Frosta." Entrapta grins.  
"Thank you." She adds shyly to Mermista and Frosta after a moment. The two princesses smile.  
"Hmm, maybe you could use some of that tech you mentioned on Darla." Bow suggests.  
"I don't think that'll work, unless it's First Ones tech. She's an ancient ship, remember?" I tell Bow.  
"Maybe we could scrounge some from the Crystal Castle?" Glimmer suggests. "With no Light Hope, and no First Ones monsters, it should be easy to get in and out without any trouble."  
"Okay, so its settled. We'll organise a mission to the Crystal Castle in next week's meeting. As for Entrapta's offer of defence tech, we could use it on the Kingdom of Snows supply line, for safety measures, but we could also use it for Salineas too. If we're careful about the amount we use, we can keep some aside for the Fright Zone." Glimmer explains.  
"The tech would be useful against pirates, you know. Now that they aren't controlled by Prime, they've taken back to the seas. With Salineas almost defenceless, we've had a hard time defending against them." Sea Hawk explains.  
"But we've beaten the ones who have arrived." Mermista protests.  
"Mermista, Sea Hawk may have a point. The tech may mean that you can focus on using your powers to help rebuild Salineas, rather than defending it." Glimmer says.  
"Okay, okay, maybe you're right." Mermista replies.  
"Good. So, let's conclude. The mission to infiltrate the Fright Zone will be led by Adora and Catra, with Hordak and Entrapta as back up." Glimmer explains. Hordak scrunches his face at this, clearly displeased with being a backup option.  
"Adora, as She-Ra, will act as the main defence if things get tricky. Catra's role will be to get the soldiers to join the Rebellion,"  
"You realise they all hate me, right?" Catra deadpans.  
"Some of them might still be scared of you though. It seems like a bad thing, but if we can use it to the Rebellion's advantage, we have more defences." Scorpia inputs.  
"Exactly. Hordak will focus on the clones, and getting them out, whereas Entrapta will lock down the power grid, or at the very least disable it so it can't be used until Scorpia has rebuilt the kingdom." Glimmer explains. Everyone nods.  
"Entrapta's tech will be used as defence for both the Kingdom of Snows supply line, and for Salineas. We'll discuss this more at next week's meeting. As for the Best Friend Squad Roadtrip, we'll make our plans privately, and then share them with the Rebellion at a later date." Glimmer says. "Does anyone have any questions?" Everyone shakes their heads.  
"Great. As Queen of Bright Moon, I declare this first official post-war meeting adjourned."


End file.
